Hi, I've bcc-ed some others for their interest -- and for their benefit; "luv-talk" is a "Linux Users Victoria" mail list, which isn't limited to talk about Linux. On 3/07/2013 11:16 AM, Petros wrote:
I just browsed through the permissions list of the Android Facebook app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.katana&feature=se...
I find it amazing. The spy's wet dream come true.
In short, your online and probably also most of your offline privacy is for sale, Facebook provides a free service that costs it's users dearly in terms of privacy, you are their product. Our private details have never been more open to abuse, by any organization from FB to NSA -- no-one is safe and some measures to improve your privacy are flawed or severely mis-used. I'm sure that I leak plenty of information by participating in mail lists .... but that is more by choice. When it comes to over-reaching apps, it makes me want to remove most of them! Just the ability to read/write to USB storage is, in itself, quite a problem with Android in terms of trust .... knowing what apps are running / installed ... the privacy issues are quite immense indeed. I don't use Facebook or Twitter on my mobile, EVER. Every website I go to on my mobile is now done via Orbot Tor proxy [6] app where possible. My /desktop/ use is very, very low on Twitter and FB -- so low it is almost non-existent. Add LinkedIn to that list too..... 6 million passwords lost [5], due to poor handling of data, what a joke! Facebook is a nightmare of epic proportions and not enough people realize the damage they are doing to themselves and anyone whom are their contacts (friends or otherwise) via Facebook in particular, but also via other app service providers -- Viber for just one, many, many more like that. The latest, shadow profiles [1] -- even using a "special" email address for FB is not going to save you from their clutches. Don't ever forget that users of FB are FB's product...... see also link [2] -- no-one is safe from FB relationships with data collection companies collecting mega data about everyone's ONLINE and OFFLINE details in every aspect of their life. Oh and don't forget the story [3] about the pregnant teenager that Target knew of before the girl's father! We all need to go dark on FB and on many apps and use anonymizing products as much as possible, here's one that I expect to start using, but haven't just yet [4]. [1] http://mashable.com/2013/06/26/facebook-shadow-profiles/ [2] http://twit.tv/show/security-now/404 -- How Facebook Monetizes (May 15 2013) [3] http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-... [4] http://sourceforge.net/p/whonix/wiki/Home/#whonix-homepage [5] http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/7/3071707/linkedin-hack-six-million-passwords... [6] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.torproject.android (with Orweb from the same dev). More links: http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/06/20/leaked-nsa-doc-says-it-... https://disconnect.me/ https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/04/4-simple-changes-protect-your-privacy-... .... I'll stop here, can go on forever....... Cheers A.